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Product Workflows for Engagement Sessions included in Package

Amber Teater >

November 15, 2010 11:54

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Background:  We sell wedding packages that include bridal and \ or engagement sessions.  We need to use the product workflow tracking on these products that are shown as included in the wedding package, but whose dates are associated with their individual "shoots". We didn't want multiple shoots because we wanted clients to manage and see all status from one client area.

To accomplish this I first created a new product workflow whose first task was to schedule the session.  I personally made this due 2 weeks after they book their wedding.  The next milestone is to Shoot the Session, and so on with due dates dependent on the previous milestone.  Then, once they book I go in and mark the first milestone of Book Session complete and immediately place their worflow on hold.  I turn right around and place it off hold.  This brings up the nice screen to edit all the due dates.  However, all I need to do is for the session milestone change the due date to the date of their session.  ShootQ then asks me if it wants to automatically update the rest of the due dates which I do and BAM!  The engagement session now has it's product workflow tasks with proper due dates from the date of their actual engagement session.

A little odd to wrap your brain around at first, but I am sure you will love it and your clients being able to track the progress of their engagement session and wedding day images all from one client access.

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13 comments

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  Amber Teater > November 15, 2010 11:56

  Also, if you don't want to go through placing this on hold you can simply edit the session milestone due date when you click to complete the booking milestone and it will update all the remainder of the due dates as well.

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  Alaina Eubank > November 25, 2010 04:59

  I think their might be a little bit simpler way to accomplish the same thing. What I advise the photographers I work with to do is schedule another shoot date (event/ for there bride/groom. When they go into the client's workflow area, there is a place to assign workflows to the added shoot date.

  When I am creating workflows for add-on shoots like this for my Q Guru clients, I duplicate their normal workflow that I have already written, then I go in and delete the steps that pertain to booking scheduling or sending thank you notes. In the master workflow for the wedding, I write a milestone to schedule the engagement session, add the shoot date, and assign it the Add-on Shoot Workflow.

  For the add-on shoot workflow, I simply assigned the due dates to be before or after the date of the event which would be the added shoot date for the esession.

   

  Making ShootQ Simple!

  The Q Guru,

  Lain Eubank

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  Permanently deleted user > November 25, 2010 05:06

  Are you talking about Shoot Workflows or Product Workflows?  Shoot workflows I can see that, but then clients cannot see their production progress in their client area.  So I have to have a product attached to it.  So I guess I could create another order, but then wouldn't the separate order show up in the invoices area?

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  Alaina Eubank > November 25, 2010 06:33

  Ok, I mis-read what you were getting at in your first post. If you want them to see a production status then yes the add-on shoot would have to be treated as a product. Its a little misleading though. Unless the "shoot product workflow" ends with uploading the proofing gallery, the production status would probably be around 80-90% when the photos are actually uploaded.

  I didn't really ever make a big deal out of the production status bars because I have an "Expectations" email that I send out that tells my clients the timeline and what to look for and when and that seemed to always satisfy my clients and I never got the "when are my photos going to be ready"because I always over promised my delivery date and then delivered 5-7 days before I said the photos would be ready.

  Do you create a similar product workflow for the wedding image production process? Just curious because you said, "I am sure you will love it and your clients being able to track the progress of their engagement session and wedding day images all from one client access." Production status bars are only applied to products.

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  Leeann Golish > November 30, 2010 01:03

  I do a wedding workflow that has a step of "Schedule Engagement Session"

   

  Once we pick a date for their engagement session, I schedule it on the shoot's HOME tab as a new appointment. I then assign the "Engagement Session" workflow to this engagement session appointment. It keeps everything separated for the two shoots, with the exception of the note to schedule it.

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  Amber Teater > November 30, 2010 02:47

  Alaina:  Yes I do add the progress for wedding day images.  All of our packages include some kind of wedding day images in them.  I like the expectations email idea though.  We tell our clients, but regardless they always want to check how it is going, etc.

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  Betsy McCue > December 30, 2010 01:12

  We are struggling with this aspect of adding the engagement session as a new event within the wedding event itself. Our process:
  Wedding workflow contains a milestone reminding us to schedule the engagement session. Once this session is scheduled, it is added as a new "event" to that wedding's master event page (consults also make it on this page, as well as any additional appts with the clients).

  Once this is scheduled, it seems that all the milestones within our engagement session refer back to the wedding date as the "event date". What we really want to happen is have it refer to the "event date" for the engagement session.

  Are we missing something really simple here? Any suggestions are welcome!! :)

   

  Thanks much,

  Betsy & Jeff
  La Vida Creations

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  Leeann Golish > December 30, 2010 01:19

  Hi Betsy! Are you adding the engagement workflow to the engagement session on the left side of your shoot screen under "Tasks" -> "Engagement Session"? If the workflow isn't assigned here and is otherwise assigned to perhaps the wedding itself, the dates will be off. Hope that helps! -Leeann- ShootQ SQUAD
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  Betsy McCue > December 30, 2010 01:35

  Thanks, Leeann! Ok...got the workflow working like it should. One more Q: Is there a way to send out an automated email reminder for an engagement session and have it pull the date from that event instead of the wedding date?

  Thanks!!

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  Leeann Golish > December 30, 2010 13:31

  Hi Betsy!

  At this point, there is not a way to include dates (as variables) for meetings, other shoots, etc associated with the overall shoot in email templates. You'll see that the "Event Date" variable refers to the overall shoot date. For me, it's always the wedding date, and I have the engagement session as another scheduled event in the shoot and assign it a workflow. 

  Hope that helps,

  Leeann

  ShootQ SQUAD

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  Permanently deleted user > December 30, 2010 15:13

  So if I have this right...  you cannot automate the engagement workflow to the new engagement shoot (which is part of the overall wedding shoot).  You have to manually go in and assign it in the tasks window for it to use the correct event date if your milestones are based off event date?

  I thought I had tried setting up an engagement session workflow based on event date but everytime I added an engagement session it used the overall wedding date as the event date and NOT the actual engagement session as the event date.

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  Betsy McCue > December 30, 2010 18:19

  Thanks, Leeaan. That's exactly what we were getting at. Now I know...
  Oh well. I understand. Thanks for the quick response and help!!

  Happy new year!
  Betsy

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  Permanently deleted user > January 04, 2011 14:59

  Okay just wanted to post to remind everyone that the reason I have this configured in this manner is so the CLIENT can see the progress of their engagement and bridal session.  It shows them from day one of booking that they have a bridal and engagement session and everytime they log in to their client area on the home screen displays the first stage as 'Book Session'.  This helps to remind them to contact us to book so we don't have to actively seek them out as well. 

  That is what I didn't like about the shoot workflow is that the client cannot track that progress just the task workflow progress.  That is why I have it configured in this specific manner.  I understand the other method works better for the photographer, but it doesn't give the client as much feedback and I don't feel it makes it feel as automated.